There are many possible roads in our life to choose from; all have their advantages and drawbacks. We can choose to take life’s Interstates. Here, we settle for instant gratification, the short-term gain, what makes me happy here and now. Trouble is, like the real Interstate system, life’s Interstates can be really boring after awhile. Or, we can take life’s back roads, savoring and cherishing what each day brings us. It takes longer to get to our destination, but we sure get a taste of local flavor, as well as local beauty.
Advent has a way of reminding us that we are a work in progress. It reminds us that life is a combination of Interstate and back road travel, and there is no set time to reach our destination. When we get there, we get there. Few things are more tragic than the person who makes hasty decisions and who nears the end of his or her life and starts to wonder: “What if I lived my life wrong?”
Here are three questions that might be helpful to you in your journey, questions which will help you discern whether it is your heart’s desire you’re following (which is often God’s desire also), or whether you’re allowing outside factors to set your course.
- What gives you joy? What keeps grabbing your interest, sparking your curiosity, and giving you energy? This is a question only you can answer.
- Is this something that engages all of your abilities and uses them in the fullest way possible?In other words, are you any good at the thing that brings you joy? Here you could use good feedback from others. I would love to sing, for example, but I’ve been told: “Uh, Herbdear manyou’re flatter than the Nebraska countryside.”
- Is this role a genuine service to the people around me, to society at large? Who does the world need you to be? How can you use your gifts to serve others? God gave all of us particular gifts.
Whatever your gift, there’s always an answer to “How can I use this to help others?For sure, you can always be God’s smile for someone today!!
